The use of short codes such as passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs) is commonplace for authenticating (confirming the identity of) an individual desiring to access a resource or asset. However, such codes are easily stolen and used by impostors, and therefore provide low security. At the other end of the spectrum, analysis of an individual's unique biometric features does permit high-security identification and authentication, but requires specialized equipment and high processing power, and are non-instantaneous. As a result, most of today's digitally guarded resources and assets continue to rely on technologies that favor speed and simplicity, thus leaving the assets vulnerable to theft or malicious activity. The industry is thus in need of an improved method and apparatus for fingerprint encoding, identification and authentication.